MEDICAL ELECTRODE TEAR STRIP
A dispenser device for opening multiple packs of medical electrodes in a single action. The dispenser device includes a plurality of connected pouches including a first terminal pouch and a second terminal pouch. An electrode is disposed within each pouch and a seal extends along each pouch. The dispenser device also includes a tear strip that is substantially aligned with at least a portion of the seal. The tear strip can extend across all pouches. In one single tearing or pulling motion along the tear strip, each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches can be opened.
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The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/782,489, filed on Dec. 20, 2018 and entitled “Medical Electrode Tear Strip,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to medical electrodes and, more particularly, to a dispenser device for opening multiple packs of medical electrodes in a single action.
2. Description of Related ArtMedical electrodes are typically used in electrocardiography and like diagnostic procedures as well as for long-term monitoring where a patient must be electrically connected to a test or monitoring device. For a given procedure, a patient may require anywhere from two (2) to eleven (11) medical electrodes. The clinical use of medical electrodes requires many different packaging configurations. Medical electrodes are typically packaged in quantities of three (3), five (5), ten (10), and fifty (50). Depending on clinician preference, a physician or hospital may choose to have one or multiple of these configurations available. Often, clinicians will need to open multiple packages of electrodes to get the desired number for a procedure. Having to open multiple packages is time consuming and introduces a much greater risk of dropping an electrode, rendering it unusable.
Therefore, there is a need for a dispenser device for dispensing only the amount of medical electrodes necessary for a given procedure.
Description of the Related Art Section Disclaimer: To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section or elsewhere in this disclosure, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed patents/publications/products are prior art for patent law purposes. For example, some or all of the discussed patents/publications/products may not be sufficiently early in time, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough in time and/or may not be sufficiently enabling so as to amount to prior art for patent law purposes. To the extent that specific patents/publications/products are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section and/or throughout the application, the descriptions/disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety(ies).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure is directed to an inventive configuration, structure, and resulting function of a dispenser device for opening multiple packs of medical electrodes in a single action. According to one aspect, the dispenser device includes a plurality of connected pouches including a first terminal pouch and a second terminal pouch. An electrode is within each pouch and a seal extends along each pouch. The dispenser device also includes a tear strip that is substantially aligned with at least a portion of the seal. The tear strip extends across all pouches. In one single tearing or pulling motion along the tear strip, each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches can be opened.
The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosed subject matter may admit to other equally effective embodiments. Reference is now made briefly to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in
In the depicted embodiment, each pouch 12 of the dispenser device 10 is rectangular. In the embodiment wherein the dispenser device 10 comprises a plurality of rectangular pouches 12, the pouches 12 are connected in a strip 14, as shown in
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While embodiments of the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that various changes in detail may be effected therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by claims that can be supported by the written description and drawings. Further, where exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a certain number of elements it will be understood that the exemplary embodiments can be practiced utilizing either less than or more than the certain number of elements.
Claims
1. A dispenser device, comprising:
- a plurality of connected pouches including a first terminal pouch and a second terminal pouch;
- a separate electrode disposed within each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches;
- a seal extending along each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches; and
- a tear strip substantially aligned with at least a portion of the seal.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the tear strip extends from a first side of the first terminal pouch to a second side of the second terminal pouch.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the tear strip extends across all of the plurality of connected pouches.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the seal extends around a perimeter of each electrode in each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the seal is a thermal seal.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one pouch of the plurality of connected pouches is rectangular shaped.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first terminal pouch has a first side and a second side, the second side of the first terminal pouch is connected to a first side of the second terminal pouch.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the seal extends along an exterior surface of each pouch of the plurality of connected pouches.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 27, 2020
Publication Date: Oct 15, 2020
Patent Grant number: 12012270
Applicant: CONMED CORPORATION (Utica, NY)
Inventor: Timothy A. Donaldson (Clinton, OH)
Application Number: 16/752,735